


The Dancing Flame of Life

by All-We-Must-Be (A_Study_In_Magic)



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drama & Romance, Episode: s09e12 Hell Bent, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Episode s06e06 The Almost People, Post-Episode: s09e12 Hell Bent, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 16:42:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19154977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Study_In_Magic/pseuds/All-We-Must-Be
Summary: Your fate, your very destiny was set out before you were born, Miranda Cleaves.A world destroyed by war. A young boy and a mysterious woman dressed in red cradling her dead body. Those were the images that had haunted Miranda Cleaves dreams ever since she was a child. She had thought the dreams were nothing more than her imagination, but ever since her meeting with the Doctor nine months prior, her dreams seemed to become more profound, leaving her with more questions than answers.Were the two phenomenons linked or was it just coincidence?When the Doctor decides to pay her another visit, it begins a chain of events that will ultimately change Miranda Cleaves life, reminding her that you can never run from your destiny.





	The Dancing Flame of Life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hecateandhoney (LiveLoveLikeMe)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLoveLikeMe/gifts).



> A Miranda Cleaves/Ohila story that has been playing on my mind for a few months. It was originally only going to be a one-shot but it seemed to run away from me and is now a multi-chapter work in progress. 
> 
> I'm not too sure if the pairing between these two characters has been done before, but I hope you enjoy.

* * *

It was the same dream. Every night, without fail. It was several moments before her vision cleared and her eyes open, finding herself transported to the familiar yet unknown land. The wind blew through her hair, and the silver-leafed trees as she stood on plains of endless red grass while looking up at the yellow sky. The sun shone brightly causing the mountains and the high towers that were protected by a mighty glass dome to shine encasing the area in a gentle, peaceful glow. The sound of footsteps approaching from behind caused her to turn to see a small boy of no more than eight standing next to her. His blue eyes held knowledge; knowledge that she knew an eight-year-old shouldn't possess. He reached out and took her hand, causing a fast spectrum of images to flash through her mind. She could see herself back at the acid mining factory along with the Doctor telling her to make a difference in the world. She could remember those brown eyes staring intensely into her own, hoping she would take his advice. Miranda didn't know much about the man who had trespassed into her factory barking orders, but she could see the vast knowledge in his eyes, along with sadness, wondering what had happened in his life to cause such raw emotion. Although he had his companions, she could tell he was lonely. She looked down at the boy next to her, who gave her a bright smile.  
  
"It's you. You're the Doctor."  
  
The boy nodded enthusiastically.  
  
Miranda was lost for words. Ever since she was a child, she had met this small boy who always visited her dreams, never thinking he was real or that she would meet him face to face. A part of her was sceptical. The boy never spoke to her, only stood next to her, holding her hand as she looked out into the grand city in the distance.  
  
"I was wondering when you would figure it out," he said in a sing-song voice. "It took you long enough."  
  
"I just never expected… even now you're taking care of the world, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes," he replied, keeping his attention on the city. "One day, a great war will break out between the Time Lords and the Daleks and Gallifrey will be gone. I'll be the last of my people."  
  
Miranda froze at how calmly he made his statement. It would explain why she had seen the haunted look in the older version of the Doctor, and why she sensed he was alone. To know that the city in front of her would be no more was heartbreaking.  
  
"Surely, some of them would survive?"  
  
"No one will survive. Everyone will die. The city will be forgotten, but I will live on." The child version of the Doctor whispered sadly. "I'll be alone until the end of time itself."  
  
"Surely you can stop all of this from happening?"  
  
The boy pulled his hand free and took a few steps back while looking up at her in horror, "you can never meddle with time. The Time War is a fixed point; nothing can be done to undo it."  
  
The words echoed around her, feeling her world shift. Gone was the bright yellow sun and high towers, now she stood on a burned-out and exhausted, a barren and rocky wasteland with many ruins and abandoned industrial plantations. It was littered with the wreckage of crashed spaceships. She looked around wildly for any sign of life, finding none. She was alone.  
  
"This is all that's left of Karn after the war."  
  
Miranda turned to see an older version of the Doctor, the one she had met at the mining facility walk out from the shadows. "Karn? But Gallifrey…"  
  
"Is long gone, Miranda, hence the temporal shift. Amazing what you can achieve in dreams."  
  
 Miranda felt a pang of sadness that the once brilliant city had been destroyed. She could only imagine what the Doctor went through at having lost his home, but that didn't explain how he happened to be here now.  
  
"How are you here, Doctor?"  
  
"Ah, now there's a question. You see, I'm not here. Well, I am, but I'm not." The Doctor explained, moving his hands animatedly. "It's all very complex. I'm a projection, a figure of your imagination if you want to call it that."  
  
Miranda rubbed her temples, wondering how a projection could be so annoying. "So you projected yourself into my dream?"  
  
"Sort of." The Time Lord muttered seeing Miranda looking at him in annoyance, "Right, yes, that's what I did, hello." He waved, smiling widely.  
  
"Why now? And why show me this? Every night my dreams are the same, ever since I was a little girl. Only this is the first time you've appeared. Which tells me that you know why this is happening, our meeting wasn't just a coincidence was it?"  
  
The Doctor grinned surprised at how fast she had managed to link everything together. "Perceptive as always, Cleaves. It seems the Sisterhood has chosen well."  
  
"The sisterhood?" asked Miranda in confusion, wondering if she had heard him right.  
  
"Of Karn. They are a female society dedicated to protecting the Sacred Flame, that produces the Elixir of Life. The Sisterhood's telekinetic powers caused the spaceship wreckage you see covering the planet out of fear of trespassers trying to steal the Elixir."  
  
"That's all well and good Doctor, but what has all of this got to do with me?" asked Cleaves, wondering why she was brought here night after night.  
  
"Your fate, your very destiny was set out before you were born, Miranda Cleaves. In your dreams, you've seen someone. A woman. Not just any woman, but a powerful woman who was leading an army into battle. You never see her face, only that she holds some significance in your life. You see your death. The catalyst that brings the two of you together."  
  
"Stop…" Miranda whispered, closing her eyes trying to block out the images of the ruined buildings, and the smell of fire, hearing the terrified screams of the inhabitants who ran for their lives.

The world was aquiver as a claustrophobic; blinding light ensnares the universe. Shaking and blurring at the edges. It was the same every time; she would look around for the mysterious woman in red, only to see hundreds of bodies littering the streets, their eyes unseeing in their final moments as their lives were brutally ripped from them. Fear and panic tears through her, and she begins to run. The explosion happens, unexpectedly knocking her off her feet. She isn't sure if she's breathing. She can feel herself choke as she's pulled apart. Silent tears escape her eyes, as she watches her own broken body lying on the ground, the tangible taste of blood filling her mouth — a moment of silence. Then everything shatters. The pain is unbearable, building, building, building! A scream is torn from her chest. She can see the large piece of metal shrapnel embedded in her side clear as day, causing a sharp phantom pain to shoot through her own body as if she was experiencing it presently. Her body begins to grow cold when she hears it — the low melodic voice calling out her name in desperation through the fog. Quickly, a shadow falls, washing away the blinding sharpness of the burning orange sky. The mirrored edge of the world has broken into a million pieces as she lays dying.  
  
The Doctor circled Cleaves, knowing she was picturing the events that haunted her since her youth. He wished there was another way, but the universe was not known to be kind. He had experienced that sentiment first hand.  
  
"You see her, don't you? She's holding you in her arms, and when you think you will finally see her face, you wake up, carrying on with your life as normal. But you know, Miranda." The Doctor whispers, "you know that no matter how many times you try to forget, the same dream scenario happens over and over, reminding you that even you can't run from your destiny."  
  
Miranda hears the woman cry out in desperation as she tries to save her before the image dissolves, causing her eyes to snap open. "So my destiny is for me to die, Doctor? I was already dying, remember." She pointed to her temple. "From the blood clot, that you happened to cure yourself."  
  
"Yes, because I knew it wasn't your time. These events need to play out exactly the way you see them in your dream, Miranda. The time is approaching, when everything in your dreams becomes a reality."  
  
Miranda clicked her tongue in disbelief, "In case it's escaped your notice, Doctor, the war has already happened!" Miranda pointed out into the empty wasteland of Karn.  
  
The Doctor frowned, "It has, but you don't die in the war. You were projected events of what had already happened by the woman in your dreams. The events you live through in your dream and the projection of the Time War have merged, creating one scenario."  
  
"So how do I die, Doctor? Tell me, how do I die," demanded Miranda approaching the Doctor pleading for answers.  
  
The Time Lord looked away, not wishing for Cleaves to see the devastation and guilt in his eyes. "In an explosion like you see, but not an explosion caused by the war. I can't tell you anymore, It could change the timelines, and it's a risk I can't afford to take," admitted the Doctor turning back to face her. "But know that when it happens, you won't be alone. When all hope seems lost, and darkness sets in Miranda Cleaves, know that there will be a spark of light waiting for you at the end. Your end is also your beginning."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"When the time comes, you will." The Doctor promised. "Now, Miranda Cleaves it's time for you to wake up."  
  
Miranda was about to reply when she saw a group of hooded figures moving swiftly through the shadows.  
  
"Well, this was unexpected." The Doctor muttered to himself, knowing those group of figures anywhere.  
  
Miranda turned to look at the Doctor, "Who are they?"  
  
"Nothing to be concerning yourself with, now where were we, ah yes." The Doctor whispered, placing his hands on either side of Miranda's head just as a deep voice called out to him.  
  
_"Doctor!"_  
  
"I know that voice." Miranda muttered, looking up into the Doctors eyes, "it's her, the woman from my dreams."  
  
The Doctor merely nodded watching as Cleaves stared out into the distance with a determined glint in her eye. The Time Lord quickly began to access Miranda's mind, erasing their full conversation. He had lost count of the number of times he had to go through the same procedure over the years. He hated himself for it, but if it ensured that time didn't collapse, then he would do what was necessary.  
  
"What are you doing, Doctor?" Miranda asked, noticing the world around her was beginning to fade. She could see the woman grow nearer. Miranda only needed a few more seconds, and the mysterious woman would finally be revealed. The woman who had been a mystery to her all these years, she would finally see her with her own eyes.    
  
"I'm waking you up."  
  
"No! Don't you dare!" she warned, noticing that he wasn't listening. "Doctor, _please_." Miranda pleaded, seeing the faint outline of the woman's face just as Karn and the Doctor faded out of existence, leaving her in darkness.

 


End file.
